Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City on Labor Day Monday, Sep 7: 60 picks, refreshed weekly.
60 picks · checked Sep 2
Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights, BrooklynDavid Berkowitz from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe 59th New York Carnival Parade takes over Eastern Parkway with mas bands, steel orchestras and soca trucks from 11am to 6pm. Free, enormous and the reason Labor Day belongs to Brooklyn.
Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights, BrooklynDavid Berkowitz from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe 59th New York Carnival Parade takes over Eastern Parkway with mas bands, steel orchestras and soca trucks from 11am to 6pm. Free, enormous and the reason Labor Day belongs to Brooklyn.
Crown Heights, BrooklynDetroit Publishing Co. (w) , publisher. · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe pre-dawn Carnival tradition: steel bands, paint, powder and oil moving through Crown Heights before sunrise, hours ahead of the Eastern Parkway parade.
Crown Heights, BrooklynDetroit Publishing Co. (w) , publisher. · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe pre-dawn Carnival tradition: steel bands, paint, powder and oil moving through Crown Heights before sunrise, hours ahead of the Eastern Parkway parade.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Manhattan100-plus New Yorkers from all five boroughs record a live album onstage at the Delacorte — the Public's free season-closing pageant, five nights only.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Manhattan100-plus New Yorkers from all five boroughs record a live album onstage at the Delacorte — the Public's free season-closing pageant, five nights only.
Cross Bay Boulevard, Broad Channel, QueensThe island community in the middle of Jamaica Bay closes Cross Bay Boulevard for its homemade-float Labor Day parade. Free, small and unlike anything else in the city.
Cross Bay Boulevard, Broad Channel, QueensThe island community in the middle of Jamaica Bay closes Cross Bay Boulevard for its homemade-float Labor Day parade. Free, small and unlike anything else in the city.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLa Boheme closes the Met's 17th Summer HD Festival on Labor Day, screened free on a giant outdoor screen above Josie Robertson Plaza with about 2,500 seats and no tickets required.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLa Boheme closes the Met's 17th Summer HD Festival on Labor Day, screened free on a giant outdoor screen above Josie Robertson Plaza with about 2,500 seats and no tickets required.
MoMA PS1, Long Island City, QueensFifty-three New York artists sprawl across every floor of MoMA PS1 with 150-plus works and admission is free in its final days.
MoMA PS1, Long Island City, QueensFifty-three New York artists sprawl across every floor of MoMA PS1 with 150-plus works and admission is free in its final days.
Bryant Park Lawn, Midtown, ManhattanAnother Believer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTim Allen and Sigourney Weaver spoof Star Trek on the Bryant Park lawn, where the 33rd season of free blanket cinema winds toward its finale.
Bryant Park Lawn, Midtown, ManhattanAnother Believer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTim Allen and Sigourney Weaver spoof Star Trek on the Bryant Park lawn, where the 33rd season of free blanket cinema winds toward its finale.
Prospect Park, BrooklynKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMolière in the Park stages a free Don Juan in Prospect Park — the infamous seducer's single day of defiance, with live original music.
Prospect Park, BrooklynKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMolière in the Park stages a free Don Juan in Prospect Park — the infamous seducer's single day of defiance, with live original music.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanKidfly182 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Whitney waives its $30 admission every Friday from 5-10pm — all eight floors open, often with DJs and a bar. Free tickets are required and go fast; reserve online.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanKidfly182 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Whitney waives its $30 admission every Friday from 5-10pm — all eight floors open, often with DJs and a bar. Free tickets are required and go fast; reserve online.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynJim.henderson · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA guided crawl through Industry City's food halls and makers inside the converted Bushwick Terminal warehouses on the Sunset Park waterfront.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynJim.henderson · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA guided crawl through Industry City's food halls and makers inside the converted Bushwick Terminal warehouses on the Sunset Park waterfront.
34th Avenue Open Street, Jackson Heights, Queens34th Avenue closes for two days of races, workshops and unicycle basketball in Jackson Heights.
34th Avenue Open Street, Jackson Heights, Queens34th Avenue closes for two days of races, workshops and unicycle basketball in Jackson Heights.
Franklin D Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach: Fishing Pier Gazebos (SouthEnd), Staten IslandOpen-air worship on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk, Staten Island's two-and-a-half-mile stretch above South Beach — free, ocean on one side.
Franklin D Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach: Fishing Pier Gazebos (SouthEnd), Staten IslandOpen-air worship on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk, Staten Island's two-and-a-half-mile stretch above South Beach — free, ocean on one side.
Seaport Square and Pier 17, Seaport, ManhattanA full-size tennis court lands in Seaport Square, with a Honey Deuce bar on the Heineken Riverdeck and an 18-foot screen at Sadie's Garden.
Seaport Square and Pier 17, Seaport, ManhattanA full-size tennis court lands in Seaport Square, with a Honey Deuce bar on the Heineken Riverdeck and an 18-foot screen at Sadie's Garden.
Bella Abzug Park : Block 2 (between 34th street & 35th street), ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDJs spin all-vinyl sets in the fountains and greenery of Bella Abzug Park near Hudson Yards—a free, laid-back evening listening session.
Bella Abzug Park : Block 2 (between 34th street & 35th street), ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDJs spin all-vinyl sets in the fountains and greenery of Bella Abzug Park near Hudson Yards—a free, laid-back evening listening session.
Bryant Park Upper Terrace, Midtown, ManhattanFaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free upright piano on Bryant Park's Upper Terrace, with a rotating cast of ragtime, stride and boogie-woogie players behind the Bryant statue.
Bryant Park Upper Terrace, Midtown, ManhattanFaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free upright piano on Bryant Park's Upper Terrace, with a rotating cast of ragtime, stride and boogie-woogie players behind the Bryant statue.
Governors Island, ManhattanAnna Valdez's Governors Island commission stays up into 2027, free to see at the end of a short harbour ferry.
Governors Island, ManhattanAnna Valdez's Governors Island commission stays up into 2027, free to see at the end of a short harbour ferry.
Governors Island, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAlan Michelson's harbour commission on Governors Island stays up into late autumn, free to walk to from the ferry landing.
Governors Island, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAlan Michelson's harbour commission on Governors Island stays up into late autumn, free to walk to from the ferry landing.
Heritage Farm, Snug Harbor, Livingston, Staten IslandProduce grown metres away on Snug Harbor's own two-and-a-half-acre Heritage Farm: seasonal vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.
Heritage Farm, Snug Harbor, Livingston, Staten IslandProduce grown metres away on Snug Harbor's own two-and-a-half-acre Heritage Farm: seasonal vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Midtown, ManhattanThe library behind the lions marks 250 years of the Declaration with founding documents, free to walk in and see.
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Midtown, ManhattanThe library behind the lions marks 250 years of the Declaration with founding documents, free to walk in and see.
Hauser & Wirth 22nd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanRadical Italian artist Carol Rama's provocative, body-obsessed work fills the Hauser & Wirth Chelsea gallery — free and closing at month's end.
Hauser & Wirth 22nd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanRadical Italian artist Carol Rama's provocative, body-obsessed work fills the Hauser & Wirth Chelsea gallery — free and closing at month's end.
Lincoln Glenn Gallery, Chelsea, ManhattanNan Goldin, Louise Nevelson, Lee Bontecou and Lynda Benglis among 30-plus women tracing a century of American art at Lincoln Glenn — free in Chelsea.
Lincoln Glenn Gallery, Chelsea, ManhattanNan Goldin, Louise Nevelson, Lee Bontecou and Lynda Benglis among 30-plus women tracing a century of American art at Lincoln Glenn — free in Chelsea.
Jacob Riis Park Boardwalk, Rockaway, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA mile of Rockaway boardwalk with ten food vendors, two bars and a retail market — beach day and food hall in one, free to walk in.
Jacob Riis Park Boardwalk, Rockaway, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA mile of Rockaway boardwalk with ten food vendors, two bars and a retail market — beach day and food hall in one, free to walk in.
Bryant Park: Lawn, ManhattanAdjoajo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLive performances soundtrack your picnic across Bryant Park's Lawn from morning till night.
Bryant Park: Lawn, ManhattanAdjoajo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLive performances soundtrack your picnic across Bryant Park's Lawn from morning till night.
The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, Upper East Side, ManhattanThree decades of SummerStage shot by one photographer, hung free in the Arsenal's third-floor gallery inside Central Park.
The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, Upper East Side, ManhattanThree decades of SummerStage shot by one photographer, hung free in the Arsenal's third-floor gallery inside Central Park.
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